Oneida County appoints two new directors (Rayhill '87)
Published on June 17, 2026
UTICA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente announced the appointment of two new directors for the county on Thursday.
In an announcement released on Thursday, June 11, Picente announced John Jones as the director of Veteran’s Affairs and Paul Rayhill as the director of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
Rayhill will be overseeing the county’s drone and other unmanned aircraft operations. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a Navy pilot, Rayhill has logged almost 10,000 hours in the air as both a naval and commercial pilot.
Rayhill will be heading one of only nine UAS sites in the country that is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
BZ '87!